Scotland's Farm Advisory Service Podcast Scotland's Farm Advisory Service Podcast

I'm Mary-Jane Lawrie, and in this episode I’m joined Claire Taylor.  Claire is a journalist and describes herself as an agricultural communicator.  She has recently finished her travels as part of her Nuffield Farming Scholarship and is now in the process of compiling all the information from her travels.  We talk about her career and how that led her to applying for the scholarship, what she learned from it, and how we, as farmers, can work together to engage with the public to tell positive farming stories. She shares with us some of her amazing experiences from her travels and gives us a real insight into what farming is like in other countries.
Warning: This episode contains themes of political unrest, suicide, gender-based violence and murder. Listen with caution.
Resources
Nuffield Farming Scholarships - https://www.nuffieldscholar.org/ 
Claire Taylor Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-taylor-4135714a/
For more information, visit www.FAS.scot
Twitter: @FASScot
Facebook: @FASScot
National Advice Hub
Phone: 0300 323 0161
Email: advice@fas.scot

Along with our regular monthly updates on policy briefs, arable, beef, sheep and milk, In this edition we are also bringing you sector overviews on new tiers for agriculture support and carbon calculators. We will also be bringing you news on forage first sucklers and land registration in Scotland.
Show Notes
0:43 News in Brief
2:47 Policy Briefs - Fair Work First, Antimicrobial Resistance & Visitor Levy
7:36 Arable- Barley area up, rapeseed area down.
12:57 Beef - Prices at Steak – fire up the BBQ.
16:18 Sheep - Lamb having the ride of its life.
19:30 Sector Focus – New Tiers for Agricultural Support.
23:05 Milk - Mind your minerals.
28:31 Sector focus – Carbon Calculators
32:30 Inputs - Forage First Sucklers
37:36 Management Matters - Land Registration in Scotland
FAS Resources
Agribusiness News June 2024 | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Other Links:
Fair Work First guidance.
AMR National Action Plan
Phasing out cages for laying hens consultation
Scottish Government Capital Grant Scheme Survey
Vision for Agriculture
Agriculture and Rural Communities Bill
Spring Short Term Outlook
Scope 3emissions reporting
‘Harmonisation of Carbon Accounting Tools for Agriculture
New Forage First Suckler Systems guide. Email livestock@sac.co.uk
Land Register
For more information, visit www.FAS.scot
Twitter: @FASScot
Facebook: @FASScot
National Advice Hub
Phone: 0300 323 0161
Email: advice@fas.scot
 

Gary Campbell is our guest this week. Gary is the new Chief Executive of the Crofting Commission, having just started his role in January this year. With a background working in both the public and private sectors he talks us through his previous roles, his own family crofting story, what he is planning to achieve in his new CE role and his vision for the Crofting Commission. 
Related FAS Resources: 
Crofting & Smallholders Guide to Organisations
Succession Planning – Crofting | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Crofting Legislation | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

In this podcast we hear from James Biggar who has drastically changed his farming system in recent years. His main aim is to reduce the cost of production with his beef herd which includes the use of forage crops and deferred grazing with bales to outwinter cows. 120 of his cows are kept outside 365 days a year. James talks about the importance of options and having a Plan B in case of a crop failure in his system, this is why he spreads the risk by growing different types of forage crops and has the bale grazing (deferred grazing with bale silage) which breaks up the winter into 3 parts. Lorna speaks about soil health and how important it is setting up for growing a forage crop including the factors you need to think about beforehand. James talks about how he has learnt a lot from going to events and approaching farmers with a similar system.
Related Resources
Chapelton Farm - Pedigree Beef Sires
Event on 14th June 2024: Forage First Systems at Corbieton Farm | Events helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

THRILL OF THE HILL | Farm Business Survey: Part II with Sascha Grierson 
Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.  
With change on the horizon, being on sure footing can be the difference between having a successful business and not. The Farm Business Survey is Scotland's way of establishing the state of our farming communities, benchmarking business performance and generating the data that drives decision-making at the policy level. It is a free service, not costing anything other than time and provides a participant with a set of management accounts, providing valuable insights into your business, it can also be a useful way of collecting the data for those increasingly important carbon audits! It's a win, win, win for those serious about data and keen to progress their business in an informed, measured way.
For those interested in participating in the survey, or if you have any questions for Sascha and the team, you can get them on 07557 661316 or alternatively you can email scottishfarmbusinesssurvey@sac.co.uk. 
Related FAS Resources
Thrill of the Hill - The Farm Business Survey | Information helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Whole farm benchmarks | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)

It’s a brand-new series of Natural Capital with a brand-new host! To kick things off Harry speaks to Scottish Forestry’s Lyn White, who is their forestry and farming development officer. Lyn promotes an integrated approach to farming and forestry, to aid understanding and explore opportunities for them to work more effectively together. We discuss working with farmers to maximise the benefits to farms, the farmer-led Integrating Trees Network and all things agroforestry. We discuss the multiple benefits that planting trees can bring to agriculture, including providing shelter, improving productivity, diversifying income, creating habitats and combating climate change.  
Host Harry Fisher, Producer Iain Boyd, Executive Producer Kerry Hammond, Editor Ross Mackenzie 
 
Related FAS resources:   
Natural Capital | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Farm Woodland resources for farmers from Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Integrated Land Management Plans (ILMPs) | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
Forestry Grant Scheme | Helping farmers in Scotland | Farm Advisory Service (fas.scot)
 
Other Related Resources: 
Scottish Forestry - Integrating Trees Network
Integrating Trees Network Events
Forestry Grant Scheme (ruralpayments.org)
Scottish Forestry - Home
 
Timestamps: 
0:55 – 15:05 Lyn’s role and the benefits of agroforestry and integrating trees to farmland.   
15:06 – 26:05 Agroforestry, considerations, challenges, and grant options. 
26:06 – 33:52 Integrating trees network and farmer led initiatives. 
33:53 – 40:05 Farmer hesitancies, where to get more info and making the most of your land.